…
The young swordsman glanced around, his eyes gleaming with intense brilliance.
It was as if he were surrounded by shining stars, their brightness almost blinding.
The young swordsman knew the names of each of these stars by heart.
How could he not? Each one was a paragon of purity, a great hero and an idol to the masses.
These men and women of legendary deeds, whose valor transcended mere rumor, were immortalized in the annals of history.
They were those who had vanquished great evils and lifted shadows from the world or protected the dignity of countless others.
And here they stood, gathered in this sacred place.
To prove themselves as truly righteous and heroic.
Through selection by the Holy Sword – the legacy of brave warriors.
At first, when they arrived, their faces were filled with absolute confidence.
Each of them firmly believed they would be chosen as the master of the Holy Sword.
But as time passed, their confidence shifted into something else.
A humble respect.
For their accomplishments. For their experience.
They began to think that any of the esteemed heroes gathered here would be a worthy master of the Holy Sword.
But now…
The Holy Sword had made its choice, and an uncomfortable silence hung over the group.
They had all expected this selection to be reasonable.
Even if someone else, not themselves, were chosen, they believed they could accept it gracefully.
However, something unexpected had happened.
“Who is he?”
A young noble belonging to one of the famed knights muttered under his breath.
The chosen man was far too young – far younger than any of these legendary heroes.
He had no notable achievements, no fame, and no experience.
Unable to understand the Holy Sword’s choice, they looked on with growing discontent as the succession ceremony proceeded.
“The preparations are now complete.”
And so, the moment arrived when the young man would become the master of the Holy Sword.
The Holy Sword emitted a brilliant light.
A light so pure that it illuminated the faces of the doubters and skeptics around it.
This was a noble light.
Moved by its radiance, the expressions of those gathered began to transform, and one by one, they knelt in respect before it.
Though the light quickly faded, it had already sufficed.
For everyone present had already knelt, offering their respect.
It was the birth of a new hero.
***
“Wait, Jalk! How long do you plan to—…!”
Unable to contain herself any longer, Elysia called out.
The blinding light that had consumed the area showed no signs of abating.
By now, it was more bewildering than impressive, leaving anyone observing it with growing incredulity.
The natural follow-up to such a spectacle? Questions.
Jalk, are you trying to make things difficult for Rishe?
“Damn it, Rishe! What have you done?! My body…!!!”
But then Jalk’s voice, filled with panic, contradicted all suspicions.
“Wait! Could I be the cause of this?! Oh, I apologize! How do I turn this off!?”
Rishe’s reaction that followed only added to the confusion.
“Turn it off?”
As if the Holy Sword were some magical lantern that could simply be dimmed.
“Should we let go of the sword for a moment?”
“No. In this state, you wouldn’t be able to let go even if you tried.”
Elysia answered immediately.
“What? Ah! You mean, even if my hands let go physically, I’d still stay connected?”
“Not just physically, but mentally as well. You can’t separate from Jalk until your energy completely adapts to its own. You understand, once a Holy Sword selects its master, there’s no going back. Most people can’t handle its energy and become mentally dominated by it; right now, your resistance is exceptionally low.”
“So… it’s like a sword meant to control humans, like a cursed blade?”
For a Holy Sword, there could be no worse comparison, and Elysia was left momentarily stunned.
“…Think of it like shaking hands with someone stronger than you. It’s not you gripping them, but them gripping you.”
“Ah, that’s a great analogy.”
“Just relax, your fingers won’t move anyway, so there’s no need to panic. You’ll have to get used to it. For now, you’re being pulled along by Jalk’s energy until you fully adapt.”
Listening to this, Jane chuckled softly from the side.
“Speaking from experience, adapting completely doesn’t change that much. Even after over two years with Elysia, there are times when I’m still being dragged around by her in battle. It’s hard to tell if I’m wielding her or she’s wielding me.”
“That’s because you’re still inexperienced.”
“What? She talks like we’re children. Do you even know the standard you’re referring to? If you did, you’d know how unfair that is!”
“But I’ve told you many times—it’s not my strangeness that’s the problem, it’s your weakness.”
Jane chuckled again, genuinely feeling slighted by Elysia’s superiority complex, akin to a master swordsman handling a weak blade.
“In any case, try to stay calm and embrace the sensation naturally. This is a Holy Sword, not a cursed one. From my experience, whenever I’ve allowed myself to be guided by the Holy Sword, good things have happened.”
“Ah, I see.”
Rishe listened intently to this intriguing tale and tried to check on Jalk’s state.
However, the blinding light enveloping the area prevented him from seeing anything.
So, Rishe relied on touch instead of sight.
Gently, he began to feel for Jalk with his hands.
“AAAAH!!! No! Rishe!!! Don’t you dare let go now!!!”
Jalk screamed in sudden panic.
“What!? You let go?! How could you—no, wait! Rishe! Stop right there!!!”
“But I haven’t let go yet… I was just trying to—”
“That, THAT! The fidgeting with your fingers!! Please stop! Whatever you’re doing, it feels… wrong!!!”
“Fidgeting with fingers… now? While you’re still adapting to Jalk’s energy?”
“Ah, could this…?”
Rishe froze.
“Was there something we weren’t supposed to do as well?”
“No, it’s not so much that it’s disallowed… well, it *is* disallowed, but it’s not because of that…”
“It’s only natural you can’t move your fingers, so relax and entrust yourself to it.”
This negated the calm explanation Elysia had just given to soothe Rishe.
Not only that, but the situation was beyond the scope of her comprehension.
“Rishe…? Do you, by any chance, feel like you’ve lost control over your body…?”
“Like shaking hands with someone stronger than you.”
Elysia awkwardly reiterated the analogy.
“Hmm… First off, I don’t feel much different than usual.”
“UUAAAHK!!! STOP WIGGLING!!! ELYSIA!!! STOP PROVOKING RISHE!!!”
“Ah! Ri, Rishe!? Calm down first!!!”
“I’m trying to remain calm. Anyone looking at the two of you would think I’ve got a sword at my throat. The sword, mind you.”
“Heh.”
Rishe chuckled faintly, seeming to like the joke he just made.
And yet, he looked far from calm, as he himself had said.
If anything, it was Jalk and Elysia who seemed like they needed to calm down.
“Jalk, what are you doing?! You need to properly control Rishe’s energy!!! Or he’s going to get hurt!”
“I can’t!!”
“What!?”
“Right now, *my* energy is out of control too!!”
“What do you mean…?”
The truth was, the twin Holy Swords had already vaguely grasped the reason for the situation.
And yet, they were still floundering for a reason.
Because the reason thoroughly upended their knowledge and experience.
“*The energy of the Holy Sword has been overwhelmed by a mere human!?*”
***
Some people say this.
The strongest of swordsmen, the Sword Masters.
They are the most suitable beings to be the Master of the Holy Sword, aren’t they?
If so, why are there no Sword Masters who are Masters of the Holy Sword?
The reason is simple.
For Sword Masters, who can perfectly control their blade, the overwhelming energy of a Holy Sword can actually be a hindrance.
Take, for example, the immense power of a Holy Sword. Not even a Sword Master could completely control it.
There have been many attempts in history, and just as many failures.
Some of those were attempted by Elysia and Jalk.
This was why the twin Holy Swords were so bewildered.
What was happening to Rishe now was something Sword Masters, despite their best efforts, could never have reached.
No, perhaps it was more.
They sought to control the energy of the Holy Sword, but never dared to strip it of its self.
Rishe, however, was doing the opposite. The Holy Sword, which should have been the one doing the controlling, was now reduced to a mere tool in his hand.
What would it feel like for a Holy Sword to be handled and used so freely by a human?
It was something the Holy Sword could not even imagine, and didn’t wish to imagine.
“Jalk! Rishe! Hold on!!! I’ll find a way to break the resonance between the two of you soon!!!”
Jalk was surely experiencing a terrible sensation right now.
Elysia shouted, having understood his mental state.
“No, no!!! I’m fine!!!”
“This isn’t the time to be modest!”
“It’s not modesty, it’s…!”
Elysia finally realized.
In Jalk’s distressed voice, there was a trace of satisfaction.
“This feeling of being unable to do anything… it is undoubtedly chaotic, but at the same time, it feels kind of stable! Not bad at all!!!”
“What…?”
Does it feel satisfying to just be gripped by a human hand and do nothing?
Jalk’s reaction, having discarded the dignity of a Holy Sword, was beyond Elysia’s comprehension.
“Even if he is unusual, this is too much…!?”
Has Jalk ever acted this way, even in front of the First Hero?
Elysia’s confusion only deepened.
“Haha, this is turning into an interesting situation, isn’t it? Rishe. You’re more absurd than I thought?”
Jane burst out laughing, finding the situation amusing.
“What’s happening here… the Holy Sword… can’t control itself…?”
To that, an elf who couldn’t keep up with the situation—
“I want to go rest.”
And an exhausted scholar.
All this unfolded amidst a blinding flash that obscured even the immediate surroundings.
“Rishe! Are you alright!?”
Right then, Towah’s voice, accompanied by frantic knocking on the door, rang out.
The light had dramatically leaked out the window, causing a commotion throughout the Guse Manor.
Towah and Magnus rushed over, worried that something might have happened to Rishe.
“We’re coming in!”
And so, they charged straight in.
“Ugh!”
“Urgh!”
That’s how Towah and Magnus found themselves exposed without warning, letting out groans.
In Magnus’s case, he barely managed to squeak, “CRAAAHK!!! My eyes!!!”
“This voice, is that Towah!?! Magnus!!! Are you two alright!?”
“Are *you* okay!?”
“Yes, I’m fine!”
“If you’re fine then, can you explain what’s going on!?”
“Jalk, the Holy Sword… seems to have lost control over itself!!!”
“What!? The Holy Sword!? How in the world did such an absurd thing happen!?”
“I don’t know! The moment it tried to resonate with me, this happened suddenly!”
“So that’s why! I understand!”
“?!”
No.
He said he didn’t understand.
What was there to understand?
Rishe felt aggrieved at Towah’s reaction.
“Who’s making all this racket… KYAAAK!”
Next was Pamon.
“Rishe! What’s all this racket!?”
He immediately scolded Rishe without preamble.
“Shouldn’t you worry before scolding him in a situation like this?!”
“Worry about *you*?! Just explain what’s going on already! The people in the manor are all gathered in front of this building right now!”
“I don’t know! The Holy Sword just tried to resonate with me—”
“I knew it!?”
“????”
No.
She didn’t even let him finish his sentence.
Rishe felt wronged.
“Jane! What do we do in such situations!?”
Towah asked the senior Hero’s Party for advice.
“You tell me!”
“What!?”
Jane responded with an unusually cheerful voice.
“I don’t know! I’ve never been in a situation like this. I hear even Elysia’s Holy Sword hasn’t encountered anything like this?”
“Even the Holy Sword is unfamiliar with this situation…”
Towah. Magnus. Pamon.
The three were struck with shock.
“…Hmm, well I guess that’s plausible.”
This didn’t last long.
They soon nodded in understanding.
“What… what is with these people…?”
Just then, as the confusion of Elysia and the Hero Party increased,
“Ah!”
Finally.
The intensity of the flash began to subside.
Their tightly shut eyes gradually opened.
“Urgh, it’s blinding.”
Rishe muttered in a weary tone.
The flashes had indeed weakened, but compared to before.
Jalk’s emitted light was still too intense to look at directly.
“Hey, Jalk. Is this really over? Do you still have more light to emit?”
“Do not speak of the Holy Sword’s sacred light as if it were some kind of waste.”
“The sacred light? What sacred light? Can’t you see we’re already causing a lot of inconvenience to people around us?”
“Ugh… I am ashamed…!”
Rishe tore his gaze away from Jalk and looked around.
‘Everyone is completely flustered (lit. “can’t get a hold of themselves”) in this situation.’
Either covering their eyes with their hands or even averting their gaze altogether…
Jalk’s flashes of light continued to boast an intense presence.
‘Carrying this thing around isn’t just causing inconvenience to those around me, but I might be posing a threat.’
Rishe, feeling awkward, addressed Jalk.
“Jalk. Is this light still out of control?”
“Yes… until my energy fully adapts to yours, there seems to be nothing we can do!”
“So, I can’t let you go until then?”
“I beg of you, don’t!”
“My goodness.”
Suddenly finding himself as a human lighthouse, Rishe awkwardly asked Pamon.
“Pamon, by any chance, can I still participate in tomorrow’s ennoblement ceremony in this state?”
“Rishe…!? Right now, the best course of action for both you and me is to rest and regain our composure…!”
“…You’re worried about the ennoblement ceremony in the middle of all this?”
Pamon looked at Rishe with a disheartened expression.
“Of course. Haven’t you struggled so much for it?”
“Ah…”
That was the reason?
Pamon’s face lit up in satisfaction as he nodded.
“And I was actually looking forward to it. To becoming ‘Lord Rishe.'”
“If that’s the case, there’s no need to worry. You’ve already been ennobled.”
“What do you mean?”
“The ennoblement ceremony is more like a炫耀 ceremony in practice. It’s just a chance for the one receiving the title to boast to others how wonderful they are. The composition of the attendees who come to celebrate makes it clear. It’s the noble culture of face-saving. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“So, if I don’t properly conduct the ennoblement ceremony, I’ll be looked down upon?”
“Well, in most cases, yes. But it seems you don’t need to worry about that right now.”
Pamon pointed to the gleaming Holy Sword.
“Not being able to conduct the ennoblement ceremony because you underwent the Holy Sword’s master selection ceremony—what better way is there to show off how remarkable you are? More effective, wouldn’t you say, than just gathering a bunch of nobles?”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Pamon’s words.
“So…”
“Yes. Accordingly, it seems best that you rest until the Holy Sword’s selection is completely finished.”
“Hmph, if that’s what you say, Pamon…”
His complete trust surprised everyone, causing them to glance at Pamon.
“…”
Ah. Irritating.
Pamon’s slightly arrogant smile twitched slightly while maintaining its haughty angle.
Afterward,
Pamon left after discussing a few more things with Rishe.
“Ah, by the way, I almost forgot to mention this.”
Special Inspector.
This was the title mentioned by Pamon’s mouth.
“That is, the title the municipal council granted to you.”
“Congratulations?”
Pamon said with a playful smile.
***
“Just in case, let’s stay with you until the ceremony ends. If something unforeseen happens, we might be able to help.”
Rishe accepted Jane’s group and headed to the lodging they were staying in.
It was a mansion lent out completely by one of the countless people who wanted to make a good impression on the hero.
The first thing Rishe did upon arriving at the building was to wrap the hand holding Jalk with bandages.
It was to enable Jalk to adapt more quickly to Rishe’s energy.
“Ugh, what an embarrassment to trouble my master like this…!!!”
Thus began Rishe’s cohabitation with the Holy Sword.
“Evening meal? Since I can’t separate myself from the Holy Sword… perhaps sandwiches or something light would be best?”
“Ugh… I’m sorry…!”
“What about a bath? Since my hands are like this, I’ll skip it today.”
“Ugh… because of me…!”
“Bedtime? Yeah, it’s quite comfy, but with this light, will I even be able to sleep properly?”
“Ugh… how embarrassing…!”
That day,
Rishe thought as he spent his time with the Holy Sword,
‘Some sort of cursed sword?’
Rishe obtained the Holy Sword.
And his quality of life temporarily plummeted.
***
The next day.
Upon waking, Rishe first checked on Jalk’s condition.
“Oh.”
The intensity of the flashes of light had noticeably weakened.
“This will be great to liven up the mood during dinner.”
“Rishe! The Holy Sword is not meant for that—… Ugh. Never mind. If it can somehow help you…!”
“Jalk, has your energy adapted to mine yet?”
“Yes… soon, it may no longer inconvenience you…!!!”
At this rate, by tomorrow, this Holy Sword should be able to be sheathed.
Rishe departed the bedroom, satisfied.
He then went to find the hero’s group to share the progress but—
“Where has everyone gone?”
Right then,
Rishe noticed an unusual commotion outside and headed towards the mansion’s garden.
Jane’s group was all there.
Facing some man.
“Hm? Oh, that guy, is he the new Master of the Holy Sword?”
The man approached Rishe.
Rishe’s gaze moved towards the man’s waist.
A remarkable appearance and energy.
“Could that… possibly be a Holy Sword?”
The man’s gaze also fell upon Rishe’s hand,
on Jalk, which was shining in his grip.
“…”
The man alternated his gaze between Jalk and Rishe before smirking slyly.
“What? I thought the test ended yesterday? Are you still unable to control the energy?”
His sword also chimed in.
“Wow, after a whole day, you’re still unable to control the energy and are in this state… Jalk, are you really alright?”
While controlling a Holy Sword’s energy was indeed challenging, wasn’t this individual one of the chosen candidates for the hero?
They revealed sneers and concern over the new Master of the Holy Sword’s inadequate showing.
“Tch, don’t be so harsh. This guy is also trying his best.”
“?”
“-?”
The man tilted his head at Rishe’s attitude, which seemed more like he was talking about someone else.
